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Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400

Portability
65
Imaging
42
Features
38
Overall
40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 front
 
Sony Alpha a6400 front
Portability
83
Imaging
70
Features
88
Overall
77

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 Key Specs

Panasonic L1
(Full Review)
  • 7MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 606g - 146 x 87 x 77mm
  • Launched April 2007
Sony A6400
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102400)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 403g - 120 x 67 x 50mm
  • Released January 2019
Photography Glossary

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 Overview

Below is a extended comparison of the Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the resolutions of the L1 (7MP) and A6400 (24MP) and the L1 (Four Thirds) and A6400 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

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The L1 was manufactured 12 years before the A6400 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic L1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A6400 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a thorough comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the L1 matches up vs the A6400 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic L1 over the Sony A6400

 L1 A6400 

Reasons to pick Sony A6400 over the Panasonic L1

 A6400 L1 
ReleasedJanuary 2019April 2007More recent by 143 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution922k207kCrisper display (+715k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Panasonic L1 and Sony A6400

 L1 A6400 
Manual focus Very exact focusing

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic L1 has outer measurements of 146mm x 87mm x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 606 grams (1.34 lbs) and the Sony A6400 has proportions of 120mm x 67mm x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0") having a weight of 403 grams (0.89 lbs).

Check the Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the L1 and the A6400.

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the L1 and A6400 is 65 and 83 respectively.

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through a spec sheet. The graphic here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the L1 and A6400.

Clearly, both cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The L1 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A6400 will show greater detail due to its extra 17MP. Greater resolution will help you crop images far more aggressively. The older L1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 sensor size comparison

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic L1 Portrait photography details
Sony A6400 Portrait photography details
55
focusing manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (7MP)
82
focusing manually
MP count good (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic L1 Street photography information
Sony A6400 Street photography information
58
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (606g)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
81
screen tilts up and down
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
includes touch to focus
weather sealing
great ISO range (32,000)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic L1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A6400 as a Sports photography camera
41
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (7 megapixels)
76
MP count good (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has phase detect AF
does not have image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic L1 Travel photography advice
Sony A6400 Travel photography advice
50
lighter than competition in class (606g)
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution not great (7MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
87
weather sealing
has bluetooth
includes touch to focus
MP count good (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic L1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A6400 as a Landscape photography camera
48
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (7MP)
lack of Time Lapse mode
80
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
MP count good (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
great ISO range (32,000)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
does not have image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic L1 Vlogging highlights
Sony A6400 Vlogging highlights
9
can't shoot video
80
screen is selfie friendly
has touchscreen
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has external mic support
does not have image stabilization
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Panasonic L1 vs Sony A6400 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic L1 and Sony A6400
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1Sony Alpha a6400
General Information
Brand Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 Sony Alpha a6400
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2007-04-11 2019-01-15
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 7 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3136 x 2352 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 1600 32000
Highest enhanced ISO - 102400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 3 425
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Amount of lenses 45 121
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 207k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.7x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 11.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, Red-Eye Auto, On, Red-Eye On, Red-Eye Slow Sync, Off, Slow Sync (1&2) Off, auto, on, slow sync, rear sync, redeye reduction, wireless, hi-speed sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video format - MPEG-4, H.264, XAVC-S
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 606 gr (1.34 lb) 403 gr (0.89 lb)
Dimensions 146 x 87 x 77mm (5.7" x 3.4" x 3.0") 120 x 67 x 50mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 83
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 1431
Other
Battery life - 410 pictures
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/MMC card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick DUO (UHS-I compliant)
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $1,500 $898